Retain Employees Through a Safer Workplace with Flexible Benefits

RCS Influencer Brian Pratt says a safer workplace helps employees embrace the company’s safety culture and contributes to the well-being of the team.

A couple of things come to mind on the topic of employee retention practices. Many of our Tier 1 Roofing Clients provide and exhibit the following characteristics to retain employees.

1. Benefit programs Roofing Contractors have been experiencing major work force shortages due to a competitive (almost non-existent) labor market and increased productivity.  One method for roofing professionals to help attract and retain employees is to implement a comprehensive benefit program.  In today’s labor workforce, a flexible benefit program for employees is more important than ever.  In addition to core health and dental insurance there are many voluntary benefits that employers can offer to employees at little or no cost.  The employer can actually save money by improving the employee’s quality of life and increase their productivity.  The cost of hiring, training and retaining a new team member can be more expensive than offering an employee a benefit package.  Employees that have benefits are likely to remain with the same employer.
2. A safe workplace When employers create and implement a safe environment and protect employees, encourage a safe behavior and stand by their safety policies and procedures, employees tend to have a comfort level of the company’s safety culture.  Employees tend to have a team approach and want to perform in a safe manner knowing that their employer invests in their safety, has their back and rewards positive behavior; thus helping retain key employees.

When safety is a priority and employees embrace the roofing company’s safety culture, crew chiefs and foremen are proud of their crews’ performance knowing that they help contribute to the well-being of their employees and they are making a direct impact on a roofing company’s bottom-line with potential work comp premium reductions. Building a matrix of behaviors based on job site observation reports and safety report cards breeds a competitive spirit where no one wants to be at the bottom of the dog pile.  Some key elements to the core values of a safety culture are:

• Conducting weekly safety meetings
• Educating employees about the cost of a claim ( impact to their bottom-line) and the impact to employers and employees
• Reinforcement of rules when deficiencies are observed. Must be consistent and equal to ALL employees
• Recognizing and rewarding employees that exhibit core safety disciplines
• Swift action, positive or negative, whenever needed
• Safety culture starts at the top. Leadership’s support and commitment are key essentials to breeding a safety culture (if it is not important to the leaders it will not be important to the employees)

Brian Pratt is a regional manager for Roofing Risk Advisors, Division of Furman Insurance. See his full bio here.